Australia's Progress in Improving Diets and Preventing Obesity: Clear Opportunities for Action

Who is donating to political parties in Queensland, Australia? An analysis of political donations from the food industry

OBJECTIVE

Australia's dominant food system encourages the overconsumption of foods detrimental for human and planetary health. Despite this, Australia has limited policies to reduce the burden of disease and protect the environment. Political donations from the food industry may contribute to policy inertia on this issue. We aimed to explore the extent of political donations made by the food industry in Queensland and investigate the timing of public health nutrition policies in relation to these donations.

DESIGN

We collected publicly declared political donations data in Queensland, Australia, as it has the most transparent donation records. Policy data were sourced from the Australian National and Queensland State Parliaments, and consultations from the Australian and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation.

SETTING

Queensland, Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Not applicable.

RESULTS

The Liberal National Party (LNP) received 68 % of all donations, with most immediately preceding the 2017 and 2020 state elections. The Australian Labor Party, despite forming government for the time period under study, received only 17 % of total donations. Most donations were given by the meat industry, followed by the sugar industry. Few policies exist to protect and improve human and planetary health, with limited associations with political donations for most industries except sugar.

CONCLUSIONS

Industry preference for the LNP, particularly as most donations coincided with election periods, may be due to the party's emphasis on minimal state involvement in economic and social affairs. The relationship between industry donations and policies is not clear, partly due to the limited number of policies implemented overall.

Global Burden of osteoarthritis associated with high body mass index in 204 countries and territories, 1990-2019: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the burden of osteoarthritis (OA) associated with high body mass index (BMI) across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2019.

METHODS

This study extracted global, regional, and national data on years lived with disability (YLD) of OA associated with high BMI from GBD 2019. The YLD burden of OA associated with high BMI was systematically analyzed by age, SDI, sex, and EAPC.

RESULTS

At the global level, ~2.67 million (95% UI: 1.04, 5.75) YLD were attributable to OA associated with high BMI, with an age-standardized rate of 31.9 (95% UI: 12.4, 68.75) YLD per 100,000 population in 2019. There was a 0.5 increase (95% UI: 0.35, 0.79) over the 30 years with an EAPC of 1.45. In 2019, Australasia {57.49 (95% UI: 23.62, 125.38)}, high-income North America {56.2 (95% UI: 23.32, 121.97)}, and Andean Latin America {49.77 (95% UI: 19.73, 111.73)} had the highest age-standardized YLD rates. The population aged at 60-74 group had a higher YLD rate for both males and females. Females tended to be more sensitive to the OA associated with high BMI than male in any region.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, the YLD rate of OA associated with high BMI presented a continuous upward trend in most countries. Women and older people are more sensitive to OA due to physiological and psychological factors. Controlling modifiable risk factors such as maintaining an appropriate BMI is needed for disease prevention.

Regulatory governance pathways to improve the efficacy of Australian food policies

BACKGROUND

Effective regulatory governance, which entails the actors, processes and contexts within which policies are developed, designed and implemented, is crucial for food policies to improve food environments, consumer behaviour and diet-related health.

OBJECTIVE

To critically assess Australian food policies for the presence of necessary and sufficient regulatory governance conditions that have been shown to effect positive nutrition outcomes from food policies.

METHODS

We assessed the Australian National Association of Advertisers (AANA) Food and Beverage Advertising Code, Health Star Rating Front of Pack labelling system and Sodium reformulation under the Healthy Food Partnership (HFP). The policies were analysed for the presence/absence of five regulatory governance conditions - the extent of industry involvement, regulatory design, instrument design, monitoring and enforcement.

RESULTS

All three policies lack one or more regulatory governance conditions crucial for policy success. Each policy has high industry involvement, an absence of government-led policy-making underpinned by legislation and lacks comprehensive enforcement. Except for the Health Star Rating system, the policies did not have comprehensive monitoring - a necessary condition for policy success.

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS

The efficacy of these three policies can be enhanced by minimising industry involvement, improving government oversight and improving monitoring systems.

Monitoring changes in community support for policies on obesity prevention

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the New South Wales (NSW) community's support for obesity prevention policies and concern for food marketing and promotion issues, and to determine any demographic differences or changes over time.

METHODS

In 2013 (n=2474), 2016 (n=1602) and 2019 (n=1613) a sample of adults who were representative of the NSW population for age, gender, education and location was asked about support for policy initiatives that influence the food environment. Analysis identified the characteristics of those who supported policies and variation in support over time.

RESULTS

There were limited changes in support over time; however, support for many policies was strong and sustained. In 2019, support was highest for regulation of claims about nutrition (77.2%), and health warning labels (75.7%). Support for a ban on unhealthy food advertising that targets children (64.6%) had decreased since 2013. Women, older people and those who were aware that obesity was a risk factor for cancer were generally more likely to support policies. Parents were more likely than non-parents to be concerned about positioning unhealthy food at supermarket checkouts (OR 1.32) and unhealthy outdoor advertisements (OR 1.22). Concern increased in 2019 for unhealthy marketing on the internet (OR 1.21).

CONCLUSIONS

This study shows public support for policy options at moderate to high levels but not increasing in the six-year study period. Implications for public health: These results form part of a package that, along with the well-established evidence, makes the case for policy action in Australia.

Understanding the Self-Perceived Barriers and Enablers toward Adopting a Mediterranean Diet in Australia: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour Framework

The transferability of a Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) in non-Mediterranean populations is appealing. However, little is known about the perceived enablers or barriers toward adherence, particularly in Australia. This study aimed to investigate the perceived beliefs, barriers, and enablers toward adherence to a MedDiet in Australian adults. Barriers and enablers were assessed using a self-administered online questionnaire, which included questions aligned with the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). The survey was completed by n = 606 participants. Barriers and enablers toward adherence to MedDiet were grouped under the three core constructs of the TPB: attitudes (suitability, taste, restrictive, food waste); social norms (food culture); and perceived behavioural control (PBC) (motivation, affordability, time/effort, food access, knowledge, food outlets, natural conditions, cooking skills). PBC emerged as the most prominent construct influencing intention to follow a MedDiet. Perceived health benefits (n = 445; 76.5%) and improved diet quality (n = 224; 38.5%) were identified as major advantages. In contrast, dietary adherence (n = 147; 39.7%) was perceived as an important disadvantage. Future MedDiet interventions, in both research and clinical settings, should consider adopting strategies aimed at improving self-efficacy to reduce self-perceived barriers and facilitate dietary adherence.